We received some sad news today. It appears our momma Great Horned Owl’s eggs won’t be hatching. The Owl Research Institute is not yet sure what happened, but there are several possible causes. This morning a magpie was spotted by explore.org viewer “Cloud” making off with an egg – just a part of the circle of life on our nature cams.

The female owl, affectionately called “Ms. Hoot” by viewers, is confirmed to have left her nest as of this morning. The Owl Research Institute speculates the eggs would not be hatching either because of lack of prey for mom and dad, harsh winter conditions or a genetic mutation. ORI is reviewing the live cam footage from last night and this morning, and we will update you here when more details are available.

We’re calling on you to help us out! If you have snapshots from last night or this morning that you think would be useful in determining the cause of the abandonment, please send them to us at social@explore.org.